New ESPN Mock Draft has Buccaneers Taking Wide Receiver in First Round

Mike Evans may have been secured for two more years, but that isn't stopping some from projecting a wide receiver to the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quite a few needs to address in the NFL Draft in April. Wide Receiver usually isn't listed as one of them, but some experts and pundits still believe Tampa Bay could pick one in Round 1 of the draft.

ESPN's Mel Kiper is famous for his mock drafts, and in his latest one, he has the Bucs going wide receiver and picking Texas' Xavier Worthy. Worthy has been mocked to Tampa Bay before, but it would certainly be an interesting pick now that the Bucs have signed Mike Evans to a two-year extension. Worthy also recently turned heads after putting in the fastest 40-yard dash in combine history with a 4.21.

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Here's what Kiper had to say about the fit between Worthy and Tampa Bay:

"The Bucs are running it back from 2023, with quarterback Baker Mayfield, wideout Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David among the players re-signing. General manager Jason Licht has done well with a tough salary cap situation — Tampa Bay held a $35.1 million dead-cap charge for Tom Brady last year — and his team should challenge again to win the NFC South (though Atlanta has improved too).

So how can the Bucs improve with this pick? I see room for a third wideout to take the top off the defense. And what better way to do that than with the fastest prospect in NFL combine history? At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, Worthy is small, but he is electric with the ball in his hands. He'll help Mayfield's yards-per-attempt average just by running past corners on crossers. He had 26 touchdowns over three college seasons."

The inherent question with a pick like this is what the Bucs would do with wideout Trey Palmer, who fits Xavier Worthy's exact archetype. Palmer is not only much bigger than worthy at 6'0, 192 pounds, but he's a speedster himself, clocking in with a 4.33 at the NFL Combine last year — he can show it on the field, too, even besting Tyreek Hill in one of Next Gen Stats' speed measurements.

While drafting a receiver with glaring holes at offensive line and at edge rusher would likely be a mistake, there is room for the Bucs to improve there for the future. Wideout Chris Godwin may not be around after next season and Mike Evans is getting older, so wide receiver will eventually be a need. Additionally, the team is doing due diligence on the matter, as they recently brought in FSU's Keon Coleman for a visit. 

At the end of the day, only Jason Licht and his staff know the direction they want to take, and we'll all find out come draft night at the end of April. 

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You can follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells.

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